Drawing challenge

Last week I saw a pin about a daily drawing challenge. Here is the link to where I found the post https://beinghappybuildingfamily.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/homeschool-art-and-getting-the-creative-juices-flowing/. I thought it seemed geared towards either adults or much older children, but I really liked the idea of have a drawing challenge for the kids (granted, we haven't done one every single day, but every day that we do learning things I have them do a drawing challenge). I decided to just come up with my own (still using some of the examples on that post) that would be more age appropriate for my children (ages 3 and 4).

We have only done a few days so far, but the kids enjoy it (Bret just kind of doodles, but I have been really impressed with Sophie's drawings so far). They have had a ton of fun doing this and I feel like it helps them be more creative. Sophie usually tells me she can't draw things because she doesn't know how and wants me to draw everything for her, but doing this she hasn't asked me to do it for her yet. She did ask me how to draw a pony for her favorite animal, but instead of showing her, I just told her. I told her she needed to draw the body first, then the head, the the legs. She did really well for a 4 year old (at least I think so). 

Bret still has a long way to go, but in his picture of Daddy, I can somewhat see a person. Not sure if he meant to do it or not, but I can see a person in there. I am awful at drawing and art and everything like that, so I figure if I do this with them enough maybe they will at least like doing things like drawing and using their imaginations to create some art (unlike me, the only "art" I like is photography). 

(Kind of looks like a stick figure on the right, right? LOL)

Bret's might still be mainly scribbles; he said in this one that he was drawing snakes. Sophie's though, her drawing (and her coloring too) has greatly improved, even in just the last few months. I have been so impressed with her and proud of her drawings and her coloring pages. She is also super excited for me to hang all of her stuff on the fridge. She concentrates so hard on her pictures when I tell her what to draw.

One pot wonder: cheesy chicken and rice

This morning I decided to ask the kids what they wanted to eat for dinner. I was fully prepared to hear suggestions like "pizza", "sandwiches with pickles", or "peanut butter and jelly". To my surprise though, Sophie said "chicken and rice", then she added "with veggies would be yummy", and Bret chimed in "with cheese!". Ok, totally doable and a much better idea than I expected out of a 4 year old and a 3 year old. 

The best part about this particular idea for dinner is that it is super easy to make and only takes 1 pan. Who doesn't like cutting down on the dishes? That's right, the answer is no one. I don't know one person that would ever say "I wish I had more dishes to wash". So this meal being a one pot wonder is just that much better, and I have to give all the credit for this meal to my mini-me's (Or at least they are mini me's depending on who you talk to. 1/3 of the time I am told S looks like me and B looks like his dad. 1/3 of the time I hear B looks like me and S looks like her dad. The other 1/3 of the time I hear they both look like me.) 

I minced/cut everything before starting to cook anything so that I wasn't rushing around to mince the garlic when it was time to add it. I suggest doing this, since for the most part this doesn't take a ton of time until it's time to simmer. I chopped half of an onion (I used white, but you could also use yellow), minced 2 cloves of garlic, cut 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast into bite sized chunks, and cut about 2.5 cups of broccoli florets into bite sized pieces (I used frozen and used quick thaw, but fresh is probably better). 

The other ingredients you will need are 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 cup uncooked long grain rice (I used uncle ben's long grain wild rice, but you could also use white rice), 2 cups broth (I used vegetable since I ran out of chicken, but I would normally use chicken broth), 2 cups shredded cheese. 

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet or pan on medium heat and add onions. Saute until onions are soft. While that is going on, season chicken chunks with a dash of salt and pepper. Once onions are soft turn heat to medium high and add chicken. Brown the chicken. Once browned, add in minced garlic and cook 1 minute longer. 

Push the chicken and onions to one side of the pan and add the other tbsp of olive oil to the other side. Add the rice to the olive oil and saute for a couple of minutes. Pour broth into mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 12 minutes. Add broccoli and cook on low, covered for 8 more minutes. Remove from heat and mix 1 cup of the cheese in. Sprinkle the other cup of cheese over the top, cover, and let it sit for a couple minutes to let the cheese melt. Now enjoy the deliciousness! Seriously, it's delicious. I am so glad my kids randomly gave me this idea. This is one I will most definitely be making again. I'm fairly certain my husband will love it just as much as we did.

Pan roasted eggplant

I always end up making eggplant the same way. It's always breaded and baked with dipping sauce or it's eggplant Parmesan. Those are my only 2 eggplant recipes, I know, super boring! I decided to mix things up last night and go a new way with my eggplant. I was a bit nervous since I have only ever eaten eggplant those 2 ways before. I wasn't sure if it would even taste good, but I was determined to try something new. 

I didn't really even have a recipe, I just kind of made it up as I went. Luckily for me it turned out great and it was super easy and quick. It was a great side for the garlic lemon salmon I made for dinner. All you need is a few spices, a couple eggplants, and some olive oil. 

I cut up the eggplant in 1/2 thick circles. I used 3 eggplants because the eggplants here are fairly small. I took out garlic salt, onion powder, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper. I measured 1 tsp of the garlic salt, onion powder, and oregano. I only used 1/2 tsp of basil (the garlic salt I use has basil in it already), and 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper. Toss eggplant slices and seasonings in small bowl until eggplant is well coated. 

Warm about 1 tbsp olive oil in pan on medium heat. Once warm add eggplant slices and cook 1 minute on each side. I did this in 2 batches to make sure all of the slices were cooked evenly. Once done cooking you are done. These were awesome with just a tiny kick to them. Even the kids loved them, and they went well with the salmon I had cooked.

Here is the printable version of the recipe. Enjoy!!

How my 4 year old broke my heart

Today I had a heart breaking moment with my 4 year old. She has been getting in trouble a lot lately for multiple things; talking back, fighting with her brother, sneaking out of her room during nap time, not following the rules at the park, and a few others. We have seen an improvement from a couple months ago where I felt like all I was doing was yelling at her every 10 minutes and she was just being downright nasty to everyone in the house, but we are still having issue with her behavior.

Today when she got up from her nap she was crying and she told me that I didn't like her anymore because I'm always mad at her. I swear that broke my heart into tiny little pieces, and I started crying because I somehow had made her feel this way. After having a long discussion with her about how I will always like her and that I love her more than anything, even when I am upset with her, I decided maybe I need to take a long hard look at how my behavior is affecting her behavior.

I am fully aware that I am not the most patient person in the world, or even in this family. My buttons are easy to push and the kids tend to push them often. I try to stay calm, but it seems I end up yelling at them over half the day and they are always in time out (especially Sophia). I have been trying to work on staying calm and being more patient with the kids for a bit, and I have made progress, but I still have a long way to go.

Sometimes I feel like maybe we expect too much out of the kids, and maybe we have too many rules for a 4 year old to effectively follow. It's obvious some things need to change around this house for all of us to be happy and live harmoniously. I know this will take time, and obviously no one can be perfect so there will always be conflicts, especially between the kids. Those are things that are out of my control, however I can attempt to control the way I react to those conflicts and do so in a way that won't make my 4 year old ever tell me that I don't like her EVER again. 

There are a few things I am currently working on. One of these is my tone. I know that I am a very sarcastic person, and even without trying I have noticed that I have a very sarcastic tone with the children. This is something I am trying to fix, because one of our issues with Sophia is talking back, and for the most part she is very sarcastic with us. The worst part is that whatever she does, Bret does. If she yells at me, Bret yells at me. If she rolls her eyes at me, he rolls his eyes at me too. If she tries to argue her way out of something, he does the same. Next is for me to calm down before doling out punishment. I will never be one of those moms that doesn't believe in punishment. It's just not my style and it never will be, but I need to stop punishing when I'm still upset. I have been working on breathing and counting to 10 before doing so, or just giving myself a small mommy time out before giving a punishment. That way I am fully calm and collected when telling Sophie to go to time out and why she is in time out. I have learned the hard way that Bret ONLY responds well to calm. If you yell at him, it ALWAYS makes the situation worse. All kids are different, Sophie responds to yelling (though I am working really hard on not yelling, even when I am SUPER upset), but yelling at him just throws Bret over the edge. He is quick to get frustrated and show anger, and if you don't approach him in a calm manner and explain things in calming tones, he goes into meltdown mode.

One of the biggest issues we have in this house is fighting. Some times the kids get along great, but it usually doesn't last long. Play time usually ends in Sophia yelling at Bret, Bret hitting in Sophie, Sophie taking Bret's toy, and so on. Almost every day we end up needing to separate the kids during play time, because most of the time they just can't seem to coexist together. When my husband gets back from his trip I am hoping we can each do some 1 on 1 time with each child and see if that helps with this.  I think most of the time they are both fighting for our attention. Daddy works 12 hour night shifts, so they don't get to see him often, so they both want his full attention and that leads to fights. While Mommy is always home with them, Mommy is cleaning the house, or making dinner, or taking care of bills, and whatever else and they just don't understand why I can't always play doctor with them. So we will be doing mommy-daughter, daddy-daughter, mommy-son, and daddy-son dates 1 time each month so each of the kids gets their own time with each parent. I'm hoping that starting this might make our lives a little easier inside the home.

Items to make being out and about with a toddler a little easier.

                                     

If you are a mom with toddlers or preschoolers, you know, life is messy, and often unorganized. If you have more than 1 of them (like I do), it's downright crazy. There are some things that just make life with a toddler/preschooler easier. I have found a few of these that have come in hand many times for our family. 

 The first would be wet wipes (never mind that both of my children are fully potty trained. Wet wipes have so many more uses than just wiping baby butts. They are probably one of my favorite things. I always have a thing of wet wipes with me, in the car, in my purse, in our park backpack. They are awesome for cleaning dirty hands at the park (and dirty faces). They rock at cleaning sticky 3 year old boys when eating out (let's face it, napkins just don't hold up the stickiness that young boys seem to always create when eating). Peanut butter hands? A wet wipe will fix it. They are a quick fix for cleaning up spills, in the car, in the house, on the train, and so much more. They are also a money saver for us, I know they sell Wet Ones, but since I buy the just the cheapo store brand of wipes, they end up saving us $$$$. I will probably never stop buying wet wipes because I use them for EVERYTHING.

On the same note as wet wipes, flush-able wipes for the bathroom. This never occurred to me until I attempted to wipe Sophie's butt the first time she pooped in the potty. Toilet paper was just no match for the mess she had created. It took 10 minutes to get her butt clean with regular old toilet paper. So, we went out and found flush-able wipes. That was almost 2 years ago now and we still use them when the kids go number 2. It's much easier and quicker than using toilet paper to wipe those butts. We love them and will probably be buying them for years to come, I even use them sometimes. 

The travel Kleenex packs are a must. I know they sell those boogie wipes things, but they are so overpriced, and unless your kid's nose is raw and sensitive, Kleenex tissues work just fine. I have a pack in my purse, the car, and the park backpack because my kids get runny noses at the drop of a hat. If your child's nose is sensitive or raw (from a cold), you know what works just as well as the boogie wipes and is much cheaper? Regular old baby wipes, again, another use for those things.

Hand sanitizer is also a must for us. A lot of restrooms in Japan don't have paper towels or hand dryers (you are expected to have your own hand towel, and in some cases even soap). For us that is just an extra hassle, so I always have a little thing of hand sanitizer for those situations. We also keep a large one on the desk at home for the kids. We use it a ton during flu season, because I get crazy about that stuff.

Last, we have a collection of water bottles for the kids. They have outgrown sippy cups, but when out and about regular drinking cups just aren't practical. We always fill them each a water bottle before leaving the house. It's easy because we don't worry about spills in the car, if they drop them no harm done really, and they always have water with them when they are thirsty.

No more excuses

Since injuring my knee last summer at my parent's house, I have had to cut back on working out. In December I had to severely cut back because my knee hurt so bad I couldn't even walk without pain. Luckily with some physical therapy and rest, it has gotten better (though not 100%) and my friends have got me back into working out again. Last year when my other half was deployed I lost 25 lbs, but I have gained 15 of that back. I am so glad I have some Mommy friends to help push me in the right direction. I have started going to the gym early in the mornings (no joke, like 4 or 5 am). We started a little park workout group 3x times a week, I have been walking/jogging (only small amounts because of my knee), and going back to water aerobics. While I have not really lost any weight or inches yet, I feel better already.

I know I have a long ways to go, but that's OK. At the beginning of 2014 I weighed 175 lbs, and so far I have not gotten back to that, and I would like to keep it that way. I will say that I don't care to get back to pre-pregnancy weight, I know I hear a lot of people say that, but to be honest, my pre-pregnancy weight was way too skinny. I just want to be a healthier version of myself with a flatter stomach (my baby pooch is my biggest issue).

My down falls in the past have been 1. trying restricting diets, 2. not being able to stay motivated. I learned the hard way why restricting diets don't work. They deprive you of things and after a week or 2, you crash. I just limit the bad things like junk food, carbs, and so on, and try to eat a lot of fruits and veggies and lean meats. I allow myself to enjoy junk food every now and then without beating myself over it. Staying motivated has also been hard for me, which is why it's awesome to have a few mommy friends who have the same ultimate goal as me, to lose that excess baby flab.They also do not judge me for eating a cupcake when I shouldn't, because they love cupcakes just as much as I do. I do not push myself to breaking point, because I know that will just make it so much worse for me. I may be slow, and I may only be able to use 10 lbs weights, but I do it. Making excuses was a big thing for me as well, but now I jog/walk around the bike path while the kids play at the park. I go to the gym in the early mornings when my other half is home and the entire house is still sleeping. I do our park workouts while my kids play with their friends. If I can't go to the gym for whatever reason, I still wake up early and do an at home workout with my 5lb dumb bells or my resistance bands. If the hubby isn't at work, I do a flight line walk during nap time (6 miles right there). When he is home on Tuesday and Thursday evenings I go to water aerobics. NO EXCUSES. So even though he is leaving for a class for 3 weeks, I will be still doing park workouts, and laps while the kids play, and taking the kids on my flight line walks, and getting up at 5 am and doing a workout at home.

Cleaning Schedule

I HATE cleaning. Who doesn't? Unfortunately, it is something that NEEDS to be done. I am pretty lazy when it comes to cleaning and I procrastinate a lot, but I end up hating myself later when it takes me 4 hours to clean the house. Getting the house clean and maintaining it can be very difficult with young kids (I think we are all aware of that), but I recently came across a "cleaning schedule" and decided to give it a try (modified to fit our family). 

(Sorry for the awful picture, we have terrible lighting in our house and this was with iPhone).

There are a few major things that need to be done every day, like dishes, making beds, cleaning counters, and doing 1 load of laundry. Then there are the once or twice things like vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, windows, mopping, dusting, and so on. Breaking it up like this, even just for the last 3 days, my house seems much cleaner and it is much easier to keep it that way. It is way more manageable than trying to do everything in one and spending 4 hours, and giving up. I made this printable and put on my fridge to help remind me what to do for each day.

This might not suit your family needs, but it is fairly easy to modify. The original one that I had seen only had vacuuming the living room once a week, that just won't do for my family. It has to be done AT LEAST twice a week, if not more. The original also had dusting cleaning fans as a monthly item, but we have no fans. I added in cleaning our entry closet (that thing gets to be a disaster way too fast for my liking). I also added things that I like to do every 3-6 months, like shampooing the carpet, cleaning out closets, etc. Remember, this is also more of a guideline of just how to maintain a clean house. For instance, today is Tuesday, but I still vacuumed the living room after vacuuming the couch because the kids destroyed it last night. 

I hope this is as helpful to you as it was to me.

Mom Challenge

I don't think anyone would disagree that being a mom is probably one of the most challenging things in life. Kids tend to push all the wrong buttons at all the wrong times. Sometimes it takes everything inside of us not to snap. I know I have not been the best at controlling my anger recently, so when I saw the mom challenge on Pinterest, I knew I had to give it a try. I was going to share the link to it here, but it seems to not be working so, I will just post it.

Day 1: Go the entire without raising your voice.
Day 2: Invite your children to cook with you. Sharing meal prep can be a great bonding time.
Day 3: During book time, read a joke book. Laughing together can be an easy way to connect.
Day 4: When your child is talking today, put everything aside and give them your full attention.
Day 5: Leave notes for them to find.
Day 6: Take your child(ren) for a walk and talk to them about how much you love them.
Day 7: Put on music and have a dance party.
Day 8:  Look through photos and keepsakes together. Let them know that their activities matter to you.
Day 9: Hug, hug, hug, hug, hug.
Day 10: No electronics. Play board games, do crafts, go to the park, do face-to-face things.
Day 11: Make one-on-one time special for each child today.
Day 12: Go in your child's room and play/talk in their personal space. Take notice of how they have personalized their rooms.
Day 13: Switch rolls for an hour. Let them be the parent. 
Day 14: Accept all of your child's emotions as "theirs" without the need to correct them.

Day 1 was a bit hard for me, because I constantly find myself raising my voice, but I got through it, and a lot easier than I thought I would. Day 2, we had plans for going out to eat, so we are moving that to today, Day 3, along with Day 3. We are going to make a treat for after dinner. I am determined to stick it out, and I hope you will try it to.

Cute gifts for hubby

Do you like getting creative with your gift giving? Do you like to give your hubby sentimental gifts? If so, then you are exactly like me. Don't get me wrong, I love buying my awesome husband things that he wants or that I think he would want (like his Packers jacket), but there is just something about putting time into planning out a gift and making it. I won't lie a lot f my homemade gifts are sort of goofy or dorky in nature, but that's us, we are dorks. LOL


 First. The "I love you because" frame.

Sorry the pic isn't the best. This was very simple to make and my husband actually loves it. I change the writing on it (usually something corny or dorky). All you need is a 4x6 or 5x7 frame, some scrapbook paper, vinyl letters, and a dry erase marker. Just cut your scrapbook paper to size (I obviously used a romantic one, since that is what I was going for). Then stick your letters on. I used "I love u" but you could do "I love you because" (I just didn't have all those letters and the craft store was out). Then I wrote a cute reason on it with dry erase. When he opened this on Christmas he LOVED it.

Next up. 52 things I love about you (think 10 things I hate about you...I told you I am a dork and corny).

For this, grab a new deck of cards, a hole punch, and some paper or card stock ( I used computer paper). I made a list so I made sure I had 52 things, then crossed them off as I wrote them on the computer paper, I cut to size. I used clear packing tape to attach the reasons to the cards. Then hole punch them. You don't have to use string to keep them together like I did, you can get creative. This was a stocking stuffer last Christmas and even though it may be corny, he loved it, and most of my "52 things" made him laugh. 

Date night jar (ok, this one is for both of us).

So this is just a mason jar with ribbon, and a ton of Popsicle sticks. The Popsicle sticks are color coded and have either a free at home date idea, a splurge date night idea, or an inexpensive date night idea. We pick one out, depending on what we are looking, average date, at home free, or splurge. Here are some ideas:

Last. These are "love post its". This was part of the 12 days of Christmas I did for him this past Christmas. He loved them so much he put them on the wall next to his side of the bed.

This was for day 11, 11 love post its. These are just nice messages for him. I hid them throughout his work bag and his lunch. Here are some examples of what they say (remember we are dorky): "Enjoy your lunch, hot lips." "You are the best man a girl could ask for." "I'm so glad I met you and that my children call you Daddy." "Your face, I like it." I know, I know, but the face one was his favorite one. He still looks at them all the time, so clearly he liked them.

Mother's Day

First off, Happy Mother's Day to all you moms reading this! For me, Mother's Day is a day where I look at myself as parent and wonder if I am doing a good job or not. I am usually very emotional on this day, because most of the time I feel like I fail in so many ways. Take for instance, this morning I woke up and my husband had washed all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen for me (the dishes had piled up because I procrastinated doing them for the last 2 days). I almost cried when I saw that he had done them, because really I should have already had them done, but he never said anything about it, he just did for me after getting off work last night (works night shifts).

I know I am not the most patient person and that I get frustrated easily. Most days I feel like all I do is yell at the kids, and yet there is this day to celebrate me. Sometimes I feel like I am just plain not good enough. My house is NEVER spotless, my kids eat peanut butter sandwiches most days for lunch. Sophie begs to go to preschool, but I can't afford to send her so she is stuck at home with her brother and I. They fight like cats and dogs most days, and it takes every fiber in my body to not snap on them. I beg my daughter for just 10 minutes of no questions (man can that girl ask questions!). I try my best to do learning time with both of them, but most of the time I fall flat. Bret has no attention span and gets about zero of what I say. Sophie sometimes gets stuff, but most of the time it's in one ear and out the other. I baby Bret too much (or so my husband, and probably a few other people, say). I tend to expect too much out of Sophie. Most days I feel like I am on the verge of losing my mind.

I know I am not the greatest wife. If I was an awesome wife our house would always be spotless, and dinner would always be ready before he left for work at night, but that NEVER happens. I wouldn't tell him I am trying to eat healthy, and then get mad when he calls me out for stuffing my face with chocolate (haven't had that in like 2 weeks, YAY me). I have almost no time for him, because when we finally get alone time I am EXHAUSTED. Taking care of 2 kids while still trying to find the time for you is literally the MOST exhausting thing I have ever done. My job NEVER ends, I wake up at 5 am to get workout time in. If it weren't for mommy friends I think I would lose my mind (seriously, you guys rock). I always vow to be a better wife, but then life happens.

I always tell myself "I won't yell at the kids today", then they shove their heads in the toilet, or Sophie stomps on her brother's leg, or they throw rocks at each other at the park. I do really good, and then the bad stuff comes in 3's and I lose my patience and go off. Another example for today would be Sophie refusing to go potty before naps (which they didn't actually take today) after her brother's melt downs, and then she had an accident in bed for the first time in a year. Normally an accident, I would be disappointed in her and be annoyed, but she got severely yelled at today because of everything leading up to the accident (and the fact that she got pee all over the hallway and bathroom too).

All these things are part of the reason I reflect on Mother's Day and feel awful, but then Bret grabs my face and tells me I am the so beautiful. Sophie tells me how much she loves me and wants to be like me (God help us). We have a dance party in the living room and just have silly ridiculous fun (Sophie has some interesting moves), or we sing Crazy Train at the top of our lungs. The kids tell me how much fun I am, and I realize that while they might not like me yelling at the time, most of that stuff doesn't matter to them. To them I am the best mom in the world. At the end of the day, these 2 are the whole reason I get to celebrate this day.

Hearty vegetable soup

Today was cloudy/gloomy/rainy day. This morning when thinking about to make for dinner, I automatically thought of hearty nice soup. Soup is awesome on days like this. I had intended to make it in the crock pot, but that ended up not happening because I fell asleep during the kids' nap time. When I woke up, I didn't have time to make it in a crock pot, it wouldn't have been ready until 8 pm. So improvised and made it on the stove. I was going for a veggie soup, but I wanted meat in as well.

I started by boiling 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast. I always add salt to the water, and today I added some oregano and basil as well as a bit of garlic powder. Next, I poured 3 cans of lower sodium vegetable broth into a large pot. I didn't feel like that was enough liquid, so I added the leftover low sodium chicken broth I had from another recipe (about 14 oz).

I cut up about 10 baby carrots (you can use less or more depending on your preferences), chopped up 1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped 2 stocks of celery (you can use more, we just aren't huge celery fans), and minced 2 garlic cloves. Put about 2 tbsp olive oil in a meduim pan and add carrots, celery, and onion. Saute that for about 3-5 minutes, add the garlic and saute an additonal 30 seconds. Add that into the broth and bringing to boiling.

While waiting for that boil, cut your boiled chicken into small bite sized pieces, cut up your potatoes (I used 2 large red potatoes cut into small pieces, but normally I would use small new red potatoes), and green beans (I used frozen and did quick thaw. I used about 1/4 bag of frozen green beans and cut them into small pieces).

Drain your canned ingredients (1 can beans, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can corn). Add salt, pepper, bay leaves, and any dried herbs of your choice (I used basil) to your broth, just enough to add a bit of flavor).

You could really use any beans, I just happen to have a plethora of kidney beans in the pantry, so that's what I used. You could also use fresh corn, if you like, but I had canned corn on hand. This is pretty flexible for you to change up as you see fit. Once the broth is boiling, add in canned ingredients, potatoes, green beans, and chicken.

Reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer covered for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serve warm. This is very yummy, and much better for you than buying the canned soup. It is hearty with tons of chunks, and kid approved.

Cleaning with Vinegar

Most of us hate to do it, but let's face, it has to be done. Unless you make good money and can hire a routine house cleaner (lucky you, I totally would if we had the money), you are doing the cleaning yourself. I'm not a fan of cleaning, so anything that makes it easier and less time consuming is awesome.
I use a lot of cleaning products, but my all time favorite is fairly cheap and you can buy a huge amount at once...VINEGAR! I learned in the last few years that they actually make a cleaning strength vinegar, and I LOVE it. Vinegar is fairly universal cleaner. It can clean your washing machine, dishwasher, microwave, stove, the vent above the stove (and those things get nasty). It also is great for cleaning floors and tubs, and is a great deodorizer for cleaning up things like vomit stains.

Using vinegar to clean the microwave. All you need to do for this is place about a cup of vinegar in a microwavable dish or bowl (I use my glass measuring cup) and nuke it for about 1-3 minutes (depending on the watts of your microwave). Basically, you want it to just start to bowl. Once that is done, all you have to do is wipe out the inside of the microwave with a damp cloth. The vinegar loosens all that junk up, so there is no scrubbing. All you need to do is wipe it all out.

To clean the dishwasher, it's the same basic concept. Pour about a cup of vinegar into a dishwasher safe dish or bowl (again I use the measuring cup) and start the dishwasher (don't add anything else). Let the dishwasher run it's course and bam, clean dishwasher.

For the washing machine, you will also need bleach, and some time. Pour 2-3 cups vinegar into washing machine, fill with hot water (I set it to medium load). Close lid and let it agitate for about 2-3 minutes. Open lid and let it sit for 1 hour. After an hour close lid and let it run it's course. Immediately after pour 1 cup of bleach in, let it fill. Close lid and let agitate for 2-3 minutes, open lid and let it sit for another hour. After an hour let it run it's course. I always run it through one more cycle with nothing in it, just to make sure there is no left over bleach, before washing a load of laundry.

To clean pee/vomit stains out of carpets or mattresses you will need boiling vinegar and some baking soda (you could do without baking soda, but it helps). First clean the mess, so that just the stain is left. Sprinkle baking soda on stain. Heat a cup of vinegar to boiling. Carefully dip the edge of rag into hot vinegar, and gently rub over stain. Repeat if necessary. This will not only help the stain disappear, it will neutralize the odor. This saved me the first time Sophia got sick after moving out of a toddler bed (I never realized how awesome those waterproof toddler mattresses are). Luckily, this trick really works to none of her potty training accidents or sick nights left proof on her mattress. You can let the area air dry, or dry it with a blow dryer (just be careful, I accidentally burned a tiny hole in her mattress).

The vent above our stove was caked with grease and oil and I never thought it would get clean, but with a toothbrush, baking soda, and vinegar, I got it almost brand new. I sprinkled baking soda over it and let it sit, then scrubbed it in a little with the toothbrush. I heated up some vinegar to boiling, dipped the toothbrush in it, and went to town scrubbing that thing down. It took some elbow grease and time, but it was well worth it.

Birthing plans

If you are in your 3rd trimester, it is always a good idea to have a birthing plan. A birthing plan is just a set of things that you would like during labor (that doesn't mean it is 100% going to  happen though. Most doctors will respect your plan as long as everything is going ok, and there is no complications for you or baby. You and your significant other (if there is one) need to discuss what you want to happen, and then make a list and bring it in with you when the time comes. Make sure you voice your concerns/wants to the doctor when admitted, and show him/her your birthing plan.

Examples of things to put in a birthing plan. Some women want no medical intervention, if that is the case, you want to make sure you put that on there. Some women are OK with an epidural, but are not OK with other pain relieving drugs. If you are interested in a water birth, and the facility offers that choice, write it down. Delayed cord cutting, Daddy cutting umbilical cord, no use of forceps, use of birthing balls, and many more. My main thing during my first labor was to be able to walk/move and for them not to pester me about an epidural, I wanted to do it without out as long as I could, and if I wanted it, I would request it. Obviously every woman and every birth is different. With my second my plan was much different than my first. My absolute main thing with my son was no c-section unless my life or my son's life was in danger.

If you don't know about some of these things, I suggest looking them up to see where you stand on them. I really wanted a water birth with my first, but our hospital didn't offer that option, and to do that I would have had to drive 45 minutes. I decided that taking a 45 minute drive (possibly longer in traffic) was not something I wanted while laboring, so I decided against that. I also wanted to attempt to labor naturally without any drugs at all. The staff was more than accommodating with that, and I walked the halls for the first 4-5 hours of my labor with Sophia. That of course all changed when they broke my water at 7 cm, and they were awesome about getting the anesthesiologist when I realized that maybe I couldn't do it. A good thing to know if you intend to try no epidural, is that 8cm is the last chance you have to get it, once you hit 8, you are going without. Luckily, I was able to still get it. Delayed cord clamping/cutting is beneficial to your baby because that cord blood is full of nutrients and they get as much of that as possible if you delay. Birthing  balls/walking and moving, can help immensely with not only pain, but progression as well.

I also want to emphasize, that while it is always a great idea to have a birthing plan ready, sometimes things happen and birthing plans go out the window. Both times for us, that ended up happening. Sophia's birth was great at first, everything went well (even though I did end up with an epidural). Then when it was time to push, she turned face up. They tried turning her a few times with no success (face up makes it harder for them to come out). They had me try pushing, but she was stuck. They tried a few things to make her drop just a bit to more thinking that if they could get her just a bit farther into the birth canal, they could use the vacuum. Those didn't work. They gave me the option of trying to push through it or a c section. I opted to push through, but after 4 hours of pushing, I was told I no longer had the option. I needed a c section. It was awful to me, and we had a few complications. The worst part was that I didn't get to see her until about 3 hours after she was born. With Bret, at least the major thing I wanted, happened. I did not have a c section. My water broke with him at home, so the contractions were already super intense, I ended up getting the epidural at only 3.5 cm, it didn't work as effectively as Sophia's, so I also got a shot. It all went downhill with Bret when they lost his heart rate. After a minor freak out, they finally got an internal monitor on him and found his heartbeat, unfortunately it was dropping significantly with each contraction. They were about to wheel back to prep for another c section, when he finally decided he needed to be out right then. We had intended to delay cord clamping, but his cord was wrapped around his neck 3-4 times and he swallowed fluid, so that didn't happen. The biggest thing to remember is that it is all about your safety and the baby's safety. 

Here is a sample birthing plan (this is what mine looked like when in labor with my first):

Toddler eating habits

All toddler's/preschoolers/young children are different. Some will eat anything, some are super picky, some eat like an adult, others eat only small amounts and are full. Eating habits can also change while teething or going through a growth spurt. Sometimes toddlers are just difficult (I fully believe that they do this on purpose to push our buttons).
The key is to know how your child eats. Both of kids eat a lot, I mean, really they eat almost as much as I do, sometimes more than I do, at each meal. So I would never feed them small amount of food and call it good, because they would still be hungry. Some kids eat small amounts more often, so feeding them a large meal would be silly. My kids eat much less when they hit a growth spurt, but most kids eat more. I know if Bret tells me he is full before his plate is cleaned, that probably means he is about to grow. Normally he would never even tell me he is full, even after he has eaten everything on his plate (and then some).

I am a firm believer in NOT catering to toddler's/kid's wants...especially when it comes to food. I do give them some input into what we have lunch or snacks, but I have never, and will never make them "specials" foods. They either eat what I make or they don't eat. The only time that rule is broken, is if they are sick (because obviously I'm not going to give a throwing up kid some tacos). If they are sick they get the BRAT diet, which of course they love because it's bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast (some of their favorites). Aside from sickness, the last time I gave them something other than what everyone else is eating, was when they were still eating baby food. Of course, I don't force them to eat something, I do make them try at least 3 bites of it, if they don't want it, they don't have to eat it, but I will not be giving them something else. My kids eat such a variety of foods because of this. Of course they still go through phases where they insist they don't like something, tacos is a prime example. They both LOVE tacos, but they have both recently gone through phases where they insisted that they HATE tacos (they still ate them though). We do the 3 bite rule because after about 3 bites of food they swore they didn't like, they realized they really did like it. This has happened with almost all new food they thought they wouldn't like.

One big issue we ran into when Sophie was 2-3 was her not wanting to eat veggies. Instead of not giving them to her or offering them, I disguised them as something else. I made yellow squash "fries" and eggplant "chips" and hid them in other things. She soon got to where she loves most veggies and eats them without hiding them at all.

I get very annoyed when parents say "oh well she will only eat (insert random food here), so that's what I giver her". That is such an unhealthy approach to food, not only does it teach terrible eating habits, but that child is not getting nowhere near the nutrients they need. Even if that food is something good, like tuna. Tuna may be awesome for protein, but that child is lacking in all nutrients.
I went through a only wanting mac and cheese phase at about 5, my mom thought maybe if she let me eat it enough I would get sick of it. After a few weeks, she realized that was never going to happen (um, yeah because 22 years later I still LOVE mac and cheese, good effort though mom), she only let me have it maybe once a week and I just had to deal. It was either eat whatever she made or go hungry. Guess what? I ate whatever she made, even though it wasn't mac and cheese. If you don't give in to those demands, after a day or so, your child WILL eat other things, once they realize you are serious about not giving in.

Kids clothing

So I had totally intended to post about healthy yummy homemade snacks, and share some of those recipes with you today, but after attempting to shop for my daughter, I have changed my mind about my post. Today I'm going to rant about the ridiculously inappropriate clothes for girls.

Sophie will be 5 this year and I have run into this issue many times. Last summer when attempting to buy her a swim suit (I was still insistent on a 1 piece for her) I found so many 4t string bikinis that it wasn't even funny. A STRING BIKINI FOR A 4 YEAR OLD?!?!? Who in their right mind would put a 4 year old in something like that?!?!? I didn't want to put her in a 2 piece at all (until I found a nice tasteful one at Target, and after realizing that a 1 piece made it much harder for her to go potty on her own, she ended up with a tankini that fully covered her).  At 2 years old I saw sweatpants material shorts that barely had 2 inches of material to cover her butt. Now it's "shorty shorts"?!?!? These shorts were so short, that I don't even think I wore shorts that short when I was 18-19 years old, and now they are telling me to put this on my preschooler? I'm not even joking these shorts would barely have covered her butt, if at all. There was almost nothing appropriate shorts wise for her size and I left angry at what they are trying to get us to buy for our little girls, and a little disgusted. I was shopping in the 4-7 year old section and there were midriff baring tops, itty bitty bikinis (tiny little triangle tops), and these shorts barely long enough to cover anything. What has society come to, that this is considered an acceptable way to dress young girls? What happened to normal length shorts? If I had worn that pair of shorts to school, my mom would have been called to bring me a change of clothes! On my FB rant, another friend of mine said shopping in the baby section (yes BABY section) the only thing she could find was spaghetti strap tops (another thing we would never have been allowed to wear at school), yet it is acceptable to put on a 1 year old? I have seen shirts with more inappropriate quotes than I care to count (this can go for boys as well, I saw a shirt that said "My mom is b****" for a baby boy). I have seen shorts with "juicy" on the butt for little girls.

 WHY?!?!? Clearly people are buying this garbage, or they wouldn't keep making it.
What happened to mid thigh length shorts for little kids? It seems the only way I can find summer clothing that will cover her, is if I buy a million pairs of capris, but it gets super hot and humid here, and shorts are a must. I just want shorts of an appropriate length. Thankfully, I have Japanese options, because for the most part their options for little kids are fairly modest (at least compared the US's options). I mean come on BabiesRUS is selling the Kardashian's clothing line, geared at 0-24 months. The line includes a leather mini skirt. Thankfully, it looks like they at least pulled that item. I know I sure as crap won't be dressing my little girl like a Kardashian!! They sell things like "monster high outfits" for young girls. Sorry but the characters in that show wear super tight/super short clothing and it is 100% not appropriate for little girls.

Maybe I am just a crazy overprotective mom, but my daughter will not be wearing anything like that as long she lives in my house. Why is it so hard to find cute clothes that actually cover her and are appropriate for her age? Don't get me wrong, I am all for cute/stylish outfits for the kids, but that are age appropriate. I love cute sayings on tees, like the one of my son above, but curse words and sexual things should not be put on children's clothing.